Daily Archives: June 15, 2017

When Shin Song Hyuk was 3 years old, an American couple in Detroit adopted him and moved him from South Korea to the United States. His new family changed his name to Adam, but they didn’t fill out the forms guaranteeing citizenship for international adoptees. This meant Adam was in effect an undocumented immigrant.

Nobody knows how many international adoptees grow up undocumented due to negligence or clerical errors, but given the difficulties adopted children often have, many of them end up in trouble with the law, which can in turn lead to deportation to homelands they do not remember and cultures that are completely foreign to them.

As an adopted teenager, I think there is a fine line between being curious and being nosey, especially when it comes to personal issues such as adoption. Most kids will point out the obvious: “Oh, that girl/boy does not look like their parents, they must be adopted.” While many people will observe that I look nothing like my parents (observation skills 100+). To a certain point, the finger pointing and stares get up my grill.

I believe there is a certain etiquette and code of conduct, when it comes to being curious and asking a person about their personal life (in terms of being the adopted or foster child of that family).

Adoptive families benefit when parents continue to educate themselves on relevant issues related to adoption and access support when necessary. Many communities now have various support groups for all members of the adoption constellation. If your community doesn’t, why not start one?